Lesson Plan 4: Pairing a primary & secondary source
times past pages 18-21
Lexile level: 1150L
The Fall of the
Berlin Wall
A quarter century ago, the Berlin Wall—which had
separated Communist East Berlin from democratic
West Berlin for 28 years­­—came down. In Times
Past, we explore the Wall’s origins and fall. Pair the
text with an excerpt from President Ronald Reagan’s
historic 1987 speech about the Wall.
Before Reading
1
List Vocabulary: Share with students
deprived
dissent
notorious
regime
repression
restrictive
the challenging general and domain-specific
vocabulary for this article. Encourage them to use
context to infer meanings as they read and to later
verify those inferences by consulting a dictionary.
Distribute or project the activity Word Watch to guide
students through this process, if desired.
2
Engage: Ask students what they know about the Berlin Wall and discuss
what it must have been like for Berliners to have a guarded wall divide their
city. Watch the video for background information on the Cold War.
Additional
Resources
www.upfrontmagazine.com
Print or project:
• Word Watch (also on p. 14 of this
Teacher’s Guide)
• “Tear Down This Wall” (also on p. 11
of this Teacher’s Guide)
• Analyze the Photo (also on p. 15
of this Teacher’s Guide)
• Article Quiz (also on p. 10 of this
Teacher’s Guide)
Video: The Cold War
Analyze the Article
3
Read and Discuss: Have students read the article. Discuss what makes this a secondary source. (It was
written long after the fall of the Berlin Wall by a reporter who researched the topic via multiple sources but did not
experience firsthand the events described.) Then pose the following critical-thinking questions:
u Describe the purpose of the Berlin Wall. Was it destined
u The Berlin Wall physically separated two sides
to fail, in your view? (After World War II, Germany—and its
of a city but symbolized much larger divisions.
capital, Berlin—was divided. East Germany was controlled by
What were those divisions? (The Wall represented the split
the Communist Soviet Union. West Germany was a democratic
between East Germany and West Germany as well as the
nation. The Wall was erected by Communist leaders to keep
divide between Communist Eastern Europe and the West.
East Berliners from escaping to the West. Students will have
It also came to symbolize the general division between
varying views on the chances of the Wall succeeding.)
Communism and democracy during the Cold War.)
6 •
Upfront • upfrontmagazine.com
u Use the article to compare life in East Berlin with life
u Analyze the factors that you think led to the fall of
in West Berlin while the Wall was intact. (East Berliners
the Berlin Wall. (Answers will vary. Factors may include
lived in a police state with very few freedoms. They had
President Reagan’s public challenge to Soviet leader Mikhail
little access to cars, phones, and other consumer goods. West
Gorbachev, the opening of the border between Austria and
Berliners, on the other hand, enjoyed greater political and
Communist Hungary, and increasing pressure from frustrated
economic freedoms.)
East Germans.)
4
Integrate the Primary Source: Project or distribute the PDF “Tear Down
This Wall” (p. 11 of this Teacher’s Guide), an excerpt from President Reagan’s famous
1987 speech at the Berlin Wall’s Brandenburg Gate. Discuss briefly what makes this speech
a primary source. (It was delivered by Reagan in 1987.) Have students read the speech and
answer the following questions (which also appear on the PDF). Discuss student responses.
u Based on the first paragraph, whom did Reagan
u Based on the speech, what
perceive as his audience? (Reagan was speaking to the
kinds of changes do you
crowd gathered, to listeners in Western Europe and North
think Reagan wanted to see
America, and to listeners in East Berlin and Eastern Europe.)
happen in East Germany
and in Eastern Europe? Why? (Reagan specifically called
u Why do you think Reagan said “There is only one
for the destruction of the Berlin Wall. He also noted some
Berlin”? Why might he have chosen to say it in German?
recent Soviet reforms, like the release of political prisoners
(Reagan said this to make it clear that he opposed the Berlin
and greater economic freedoms, and made it clear that he
Wall—and that in his mind, no real separation existed between
welcomed further reforms. He argued that these changes
the residents of East and West Berlin. By saying it in German,
would advance human liberty and world peace.)
he emphasized their shared language and appealed for unity.)
u What do Reagan’s remarks add to the Upfront
u In the speech, what differences did Reagan describe
article about the Berlin Wall and its fall in November
between Communist-controlled Eastern Europe and the
1989? (While the article details the factors that led to the
Western world? (He noted that the West was defined by
Wall’s creation and fall, Reagan’s speech helps readers
freedom, prosperity, and well-being, while Eastern Europe was
understand the great symbolism the Wall took on during the
marked by restrictions on travel, technological backwardness,
Cold War. It spotlights Reagan’s eloquent public criticism of
declining health standards, and a lack of food and supplies.)
the Wall, which may have played a role in its fall.)
Extend & Assess
5
Writing Prompt
The Berlin Wall was a fixture of
6
8
Classroom Debate
Support your view: Has a new
Video & Photo
Watch the Cold War video and
that city for 28 years. How do you
“Cold War” begun between the U.S.
have students write a paragraph
think it affected the residents of East
and Russia?
summarizing its central ideas. Analyze
Berlin in practical, economic, and
psychological terms? Support your
response with evidence from the
article and/or Reagan’s speech.
7
a compelling photo of the Berlin Wall
Quiz
on p. 15 of this Teacher’s Guide.
Photocopy, print, or project
the quiz on p. 10 of this Teacher’s Guide.
se pt e m b e r 1 5, 20 1 4 • u p f r o nt m aga z in e .co m • 7